On the Road to Find Tsunade.

"Hey, I'm asking you, that 'Spirit Snake Sage' of yours, isn't that just a rip-off of my Toad Sage?"

Jiraiya suddenly nudged Lin Zi with his elbow, his face wearing an unserious grin.

Lin Zi was in the middle of sliding his Kusanagi Sword back into the scabbard at his waist. Upon hearing this, his golden vertical pupils rolled, and he flicked out his forked tongue to lick his lips, his tone dripping with disdain.

"Rip you off? Jiraiya, is your face made of city walls? I came up with this title myself; it has absolutely nothing to do with your taste."

"Hahaha!"

Jiraiya threw an arm around Lin Zi's shoulders, nearly causing him to stumble.

"Well, it seems we're quite fated then! Who would've thought? Orochimaru, the genius who's been held up on a pedestal since childhood, is actually on the same level as a commoner like me?"

Lin Zi raised a hand to swat away his paw, his pale fingers smoothing out his ponytail, which had been ruffled by the wind, as his snake-like eyes slanted toward him.

"Stop right there. Where we come from, the one called a genius since childhood is you."

Jiraiya froze for a moment, then burst into even louder laughter, bending over at the waist as his wooden sandals clattered rhythmically against the dirt road.

"Me? A genius? Hahaha! Then the me in that world must be incredibly cool!"

Watching him act like this, the corners of Lin Zi's mouth twitched, though he couldn't help but let a small smile form.

The two walked side by side toward the small town, the setting sun stretching their shadows long, like two mischievous children who had just finished a fight and made up.

[Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuation from world core supporting character Jiraiya.]

[Progression for roleplaying Orochimaru (Spirit Snake Sage) increased by 15%. Current compatibility: 18%.]

They hadn't gone far before they started bickering again.

Jiraiya pretended to clutch his stomach and wail, "It's all your fault! You popped out of the woods in broad daylight, and now this Sage hasn't even had a hot breakfast!"

Lin Zi glanced at him: "It's not like I've eaten either."

"Perfect! The town is right ahead. Let's go, let's go! We'll restock, get a full meal, and then go find Tsunade!"

Jiraiya's eyes lit up as he slung an arm around Lin Zi's shoulder, lowering his voice with a devious grin.

"And we can grab a couple of drinks while we're at it, hehehe."

Lin Zi swatted his hand away: "I'm stating this now: I don't have a single copper coin on me."

"What are you worried about!" Jiraiya thumped his chest with a loud thud. "You've got me!"

As the two stepped into the town's central square, the charred aroma of grilled meat, the steam from miso soup, and the oily scent of fried tempura washed over them all at once.

Lin Zi hadn't eaten a proper meal since he transmigrated, and his stomach was so empty he could hear it echoing; it let out a very ungraceful growl.

Jiraiya laughed heartily and was just about to drag Lin Zi toward a restaurant when he caught sight of a yellowed bounty poster on the square's notice board.

He pulled Lin Zi over and pointed at the man in the portrait, who wore a cold, murderous expression.

"Look at that! On the bounty poster, you look like this!"

Lin Zi leaned in to take a closer look, a hint of appreciation appearing in his golden vertical pupils: "It's drawn quite handsomely. It has a sort of morbid aesthetic."

"Really? I think it looks creepy." Jiraiya scratched his head, looking Lin Zi up and down. "But you look much more pleasant now. You're quite handsome."

The corners of Lin Zi's mouth curled up: "Of course. Jiraiya, you have good taste."

The two stood in the middle of the road laughing loudly, completely ignoring the strange looks from passing pedestrians.

However, several figures crouching under the eaves in the shadows stiffened abruptly; they had clearly heard the words "you on the bounty poster."

Several gazes met briefly in the air before dispersing silently, like loaches slipping into a sewer, each heading in a different direction.

The two turned into a barbecue restaurant by the street. Jiraiya slumped onto the tatami mat with practiced ease and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss! Five large portions of the premium grilled meat! And two bottles of sake!"

As the meat sizzled and dripped fat onto the iron grill, Jiraiya stuffed a piece into his mouth and asked indistinctly, "By the way, Orochimaru, I never asked—how exactly did you end up in this godforsaken place?"

Lin Zi's hand, holding the meat, paused.

He lowered his eyes, using his chopsticks to poke at the slices on the grill: "I'm not entirely sure. It was as if... a voice in my heart told me I should come, so I came."

Jiraiya chewed the piping-hot meat, hissing as it burned his mouth, but he didn't press further, simply nodding vaguely: "I see... Cheers!"

He downed a cup of sake and suddenly turned serious: "Back when we used to eat together, you were always sitting there with a cold face, downing drink after drink like someone owed you money. Seeing you like this now..."

He grinned: "It's actually pretty good."

Lin Zi held his cup, his snake-like eyes narrowing slightly behind the steam of the grill: "Is that so?"

Outside the window, a series of hurried footsteps echoed through the street.

The tip of Lin Zi's tongue flickered in the air, catching several distinct chakra signatures approaching them, only to stop just outside.

He set down his cup, a playful glint flashing in his golden vertical pupils.

"Jiraiya."

"Hmm?"

"If we end up fighting after we finish this drink, try not to throw up."

"What fight?" Jiraiya asked carelessly, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

Lin Zi cast a glance at him, his expression like that of someone observing an intellectually stunted amphibian. "Why do I get the feeling your brain isn't working right? You were shouting so loudly in the plaza earlier that the bugs you attracted are currently lurking right outside the door."

"Hey, hey, you're blaming me for this?" Jiraiya widened his eyes.

"Enough nonsense, hurry up and eat your meat."

The two of them actually finished their grilled meat and drained the sake at a leisurely pace, as if there were no one watching them from outside at all.

Lin Zi even ordered an extra plate of pickled radishes, chewing them slowly and swallowing every last bit before wiping his mouth, standing up, and pushing the door open.

As they stepped out, the setting sun was sinking into the mountain pass, dyeing the entire street a hazy orange-red.

The light was dimming—the perfect time for murder and arson.

In the open space in front of the shop, three or five figures were blocking the way.

The leader was a tower of a man with arms thicker than an average person's legs, dragging a heavy iron chain that clattered against the ground.

Behind him cowered two lackeys holding capture nets, peeking out to bolster their boss's presence.

The burly man took a step forward, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun: "Back in the plaza today, who were you two talking about regarding the bounty?"

The lackey on the left shook the net in his hands, the ropes swaying in the wind. "That's right! I heard it with my own ears, don't even think about denying it!"

Jiraiya raised both hands, wearing the smile of a peacemaker. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, it's a misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding! We're just ordinary diners here for some grilled meat; what wanted criminals could we possibly be..."

The burly man grinned, revealing a gold-capped front tooth, his smile ferocious. "Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, we'll know once we drag you back and pry your mouths open. Get them, take these two away!"

The two lackeys moved left and right, clutching their nets and inching forward cautiously as if facing some terrifying beast, yet they couldn't hide the excitement on their faces, the mouths of the nets already aimed at the heads of Lin Zi and Jiraiya.